For Immediate
Release
Louisiana Planned Parenthood Opposes Bill
Informing Women They Can't Be Forced to Abort
Springfield, IL (May 5, 2011) -- Planned Parenthood in
Louisiana is objecting to a bill that would require abortion businesses
to post signs telling women that no one has the right to coerce or force
them to abort. From
LifeNews.com:
The House
Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday approved an
alternative version of HB 586 sponsored by Rep. Frank
Hoffmann, a republican from West Monroe. The bill, which
makes it so signs may be posted at abortion centers
across the state advising women of alternatives to
abortion and that they have the right to refuse an
abortion, now heads to the full state House. …
The signs
inform women that they can’t be forced to abort against
their will, the father is liable for support, adoptive
parents may pay costs of prenatal care and childbirth,
and there are many public and private resources to help
during and after
pregnancy. …
During the
committee hearing, Bruce Greenstein, secretary of the
Department of Health and Hospitals, said the agency
would pay for the signs and distribute them because, as
the “Daily World” reported him saying, “more educational
information is better. Our goal is to protect the health
and safety of all residents. This will help protect
women in the state by assuring that they understand
their rights.”
“No one can
force a woman to have an abortion, not even a young
woman’s parents,” he said.
But Julie
Mickelberry of Planned Parenthood opposed the bill
against coerced abortions. Rep. Robert Johnson, a
Democrat, told her, “I don’t see any objection to a
sign. It’s just telling your rights.”
Research
suggests that most abortions are unwanted or coerced. One
study found that 64 percent of American women who had
abortions reported being pressured by others and more than
79 percent were not counseled about alternatives of abortion
— even though more than half said they felt rushed or
uncertain about the abortion.
The
Center
Against Forced Abortions, a project of the Justice
Foundation, provides legal resources for women and girls who
are being coerced or forced into abortion.
Model legislation proposed by the Elliot Institute would
hold abortion businesses liable for failing to screen women
for coercion and factors that put them at risk for
psychological problems after abortion. Versions of the bill
have been passed in South Dakota and Nebraska.
